• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Bainbridge Island
  • DIY & Crafts
  • Food
  • Life
  • The Wedding Cookbook Project
  • Writing
  • Nav Widget Area

A Mom's Year

Creating a comfortable life one moment at a time

January 10, 2013

Short Fiction

1. Transitions

Grace backed out of the room slowly. It had taken nearly half an hour of nursing to settle Jake down. It always surprised her how hard he fought the transition from awake to asleep.

She quietly shut the door, then glanced at her watch. It was one o’clock. He’d sleep for at least an hour, maybe two. She could spend the entire time writing.

She glanced across the hall into the bathroom and saw the wicker basket overflowing, so she picked it up and carried it, bumping against her leg, down the stairs to the laundry room. She started a load, then emptied the towels from the dryer into the basket and headed back upstairs. She let Murphy, dancing at the front door, outside.

She passed by her laptop, sitting on the small kitchen table, and dumped the towels onto the dining room table. She folded each one into neat halves and then into thirds. She thought about what she would write and if she should start with an essay or a short story or go right into a novel.

Her cell phone buzzed from her purse, hanging on one of the kitchen chairs. She went over to check who was texting her. Dave.

Meeting tonight canceled. Need anything from store?

She thought for a moment then texted back: dog food, milk, butter—thanks!

She saw that her sister had texted earlier: Kyle finally asked me out. Friday. Watch Jakey another time?

Grace sighed and texted back: Of course. Have fun. Want to hear all about it. 

Trying to remember the last time she and Dave had gone out alone, she picked up the towels and carried them down the hall.

She listened outside Jake’s room. He was still sound asleep.

She opened the linen closet door as silently as she could and stacked the towels. She closed the door and noticed her unmade bed in the next room, so she tucked the sheets in, lined up the pillows, and pulled the comforter into place. She hung up her robe and picked up a stray pair of socks on the floor.

She went into the bathroom to toss the socks into the wicker basket and straightened the towels on her way out.

She went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. She stirred in some vanilla creamer then put the spoon and the other dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

She sat down at the small table and opened the laptop. She took a sip of coffee. It was lukewarm, so she got up and put the mug in the microwave. While she waited, she glanced at the message pad on the refrigerator. There was a list of calls to return.

The timer on the microwave went off. She glanced at the clock. Forty minutes had gone by.

She noticed the crumbs on the floor under the table and thought about sweeping. But she sat down with her coffee and opened Word, clicked on File, and scrolled down to New Blank Document. The computer beeped you have mail. She clicked the mute button and ignored the e-mail.

She began to type.

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Short Fiction, Writing Shannon 1 Comment

Reader Interactions

Skating: Part 3
Goldie

Comments

  1. Soleil says

    January 11, 2013 at 9:38 pm

    Very real. I always find myself in the situation of thinking I have plenty of time to accomplish a task and really I find so many other distractions first. thanks for sharing your writing!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Hello! My name is Shannon Taylor. I'm a long-time writer and editor from Minnesota surprised to find myself on an island in the Pacific Northwest. I'm sharing this adventure with my husband, four kids, and two dogs. I “published” my first newsletter when I was nine, and I’ve loved sharing ideas, stories, and information ever since. I hope you find something here to inspire you and help you create a comfortable, cozy life.
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Instagram

I dug through some old photos and found these shot I dug through some old photos and found these shots from the 1992 Presidential Inaugural Parade. Special Olympics athletes and staff had the honor of marching. Such an exciting day, and I got to meet actor Chris Burke who played Corky Thatcher on “Life Goes On.”

Featured Posts

  • How to Host a Chinese New Year Party
  • Make: Double Happiness Symbol for Chinese New Year
  • Chinese New Year / Fortune Cookies
  • Chinese New Year Cookies
  • Make: Snowflake Garland
  • Kids’ Craft: Smelly Christmas Ornaments
  • Breathing Room
  • The Boredom Is Not Allowed List
  • The Only Parenting Advice We Need
  • Country of the Week: Japan / Roasted Seaweed and Mochi

Fiction

Fiction

Comforting as a big mug of cocoa in front of a warm fire, this cozy family novel is about the connections we make and the traditions that keep us together.

Archives

© 2021 Happy Crow Enterprises, LLC
About    Privacy Policy    Copyright
Pretty Happy WordPress Theme · By: Pretty Darn Cute Design